Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) honred multiple recipients at the District 6900 Conference. Will Pridgeon of the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Americus, received the Will Watt Award presented by the Rotary Club of Thomasville and selected by the Rotary Club of Pelham as emulating the ideals of GRSP, while Rotary Club of Roswell named Peace Cyebukayire of Rwanda as the Donald and Barbara Thomas Peace Award recipient for exhibiting the spirit of the GRSP.

The Rotary Club of Sandy Springs presented the District Level Award in honor of Frank E. Bentley, Sr. GRSP Leadership Award to Debbie Goodman of the Rotary Club of Thomasville. The award honors a District 6900 Rotarian who has displayed outstanding Leadership in the promotion of the Georgia Rotary Student Program. Debbie has served for more than 21 years as a leader for GRSP, raising funds for the GRSP Foundation. The Rotary Club of Thomasville has donated over $600,000 to GRSP since records were kept. Debbie led her club’s involvement in raising funds for the Generations of Generosity campaign to recognize GRSP’s 75th anniversary and to fund the GRSP Peace Plaza and William A. Watt Memorial Fountain. Thomasville Club members and friends donated $61,325 of the $161,805 raised. Debbie and husband Wallace were recognized as platinum donors.

The Rotary Club of Roswell named Peace Cyebukayire of Rwanda the Donald and Barbara Thomas Peace Award for exhibiting the spirit of the GRSP. The students share their stories and need for additional financial assistance as part of the scholarship application. Peace, a computer science major at Emory University, will receive a $1,500 scholarship for this award, which will be presented at her sponsoring Atlanta West End Rotary Club meeting in April.

For advancing “World Peace through Understanding,” the designation from the Rotary Club of Griffin honored the clubs with the highest cumulative contributions to the GRSP Foundation in categories 1 to 4. The honor is named in memory of GRSP Fellow Jake Cheatham, a former member of the Rotary Club of Griffin who faithfully served GRSP in leadership as secretary and treasurer for more than 30 years. Winners included Category 1 (1-30 Members) Muscogee-Columbus, Category 2 (31-59 Members) Camilla, Category 3 (60-99 Members) Carrollton and Category 4 (100+ Members) Thomasville.